Improvement in railroad-signals



UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB F. RIETHMAYER AND JOSEPH ISO-HE, OF HATFIELD, PA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SIGNALS.

`Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 174,007, dated February 22, 1876; application filed January 27, 1876.

MAYER and JOSEPH IscHE, both of Hatfield,

in the county of' Montgomery and State ot' Pennsylvania, have lnvented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad Signals; and

we do hereby declare the following to be a clear and exact description of the nature thereof, sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to fully understand, make, and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making part ot' thisspecication, in which- Figure lis a side view of the device embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof, the signal being made. Figs. 3 and 4 are end views thereof. Fig. 5 is an end view ot' a portion thereof. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

Our invention consists in means forindicating at crossings the approach of trains. The

. signal will be made in advance ot' the train,

and returned to its normal position when the crossing is fully reached. or passed', this being accomplished by a system of levers and connections operated by the train.

The invention also consists in so construct` ing and guiding the signal-sta that, when the signal has accomplished its object, said stati' will not be obstructed in its return motion.

i Referring to the drawings7 A represents the rails, in proximity to one of which there is pivoted a lever, B, which is located some distance from the crossing at which the signal is to be made. C represents another pivoted lever, which is located at or about the crossing, and in proximity to said lever O there is elevated a box Aor fran1eD, within which is mounted a lever or stati, E, to which is hung `that when the lever B is depressed the sta' E will be drawn down.

H, which is adapted to engage automatically with the stati E, when the latter is depressed,

so that said staff willbe held in its lowered position, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to release the catch and cause it to return to its normal position, we attach thereto connections c, which are also attached to the lever c. I l

rlhe stati' E is itted between guides J, whose inner faces extend diagonally, so as to impart a diagonal motion to the stati'.

When there is no train approaching, the tlag is raised, and the parts are in position shown in Fig. l.

When a train approaches a crossing, and is, say, two hundred or three hundred yards therefrom, it reaches the lever B, and the flanges ot' the wheels ,or a finger projecting from the truck strike the lever B, whereby the staff E will be depressed and the flag displayed,'as shown in Fig. 2.

In the downward motion the wide side ot' the front end ot' the statt' strikes the hammer ofthe gong or bell G, and the latter is sounded;

this, with the position of the flag, indicating i the near approach 'of the train. As soon as the statt' reaches the catch H, it forces it back until its head clears the staf, then the catch springs forward and takes hold of the stan", whereby the Hag is prevented from rising. 1

When" the train 4reaches the crossing or passes it, the lever C is depressed, and this draws back the catch H, whereby the stattl is disengaged and the iag returns toits nori InA this return motion the diagonal guidesJ,i1r

mal position, thus indicating no danger.

connection with the beveled surface E of the front end oi' the staff, prevents the stad' from striking thebell-hanimer in a vertical di rection, and thus no alarm is sounded, and the passage of the staff is not obstructed, whereby its return to its normal position is assumed, so that the next trainV will operaie the stati', asin the .previously described in- 1. The fing staff' E and gong G, and the the catch H and the diagonal guides J, subconneotions-a b c, in combination with the stantially as andAfor the purpose set forth. operating-lever B, catch H, and releasingy lever C, substantially as and for the purpose J. F. RIETHMAYER. set forth. JOSEPH ISCHE.

2. Thestaff E, lcarrying the flag F and V Witnesses: striking the gong G, the operatinglever B, ELIAM L. DAVIS, and releasing-lever C, in combination with CHARLES F; MILLER. 

